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Kitchen Tour: A Dark Space Becomes a Bright, Open Kitchen-diner
Creating a connection to the garden was key to the transformation of this space into a room the whole family can enjoy
A small extension and the removal of some internal walls on the lower-ground floor of this Victorian house gave the owners a new space where they can cook, eat and relax with their children.
Roman added an extension to the back of the house to fill in the side return, and reconfigured the protruding part of the upper ground floor to create a new room with a reconditioned sash window.
The staircase was the starting point for the layout of the open-plan space, as Roman was keen to create an immediate connection with the floor above. He moved its position a metre further from the front door, and added a twist at the bottom.
“We shifted the stairs back to allow us to create a feeling of arrival,” he says. “The twist then gives a sense that the stairs are arriving in the kitchen and living space.”
Light from the window at the top of the stairs helps to brightens the new room.
“We shifted the stairs back to allow us to create a feeling of arrival,” he says. “The twist then gives a sense that the stairs are arriving in the kitchen and living space.”
Light from the window at the top of the stairs helps to brightens the new room.
The beautiful oak staircase was influenced by the utilitarian simplicity of Shaker design, but with a nod to the traditional Victorian style in the rest of the house.
“The curved handrail is a modern interpretation of the Victorian handrail that continues up the house,” Roman says. “It helps to link the modern space with the original part of the property above.”
The central pillar behind the dining table is necessary for structural support, but it also helps to differentiate the zones.
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“The curved handrail is a modern interpretation of the Victorian handrail that continues up the house,” Roman says. “It helps to link the modern space with the original part of the property above.”
The central pillar behind the dining table is necessary for structural support, but it also helps to differentiate the zones.
Planning a joinery project? Find a carpenter in your area.
The floorplan of the original lower-ground floor shows how it was divided into separate areas.
The space has been opened out and a bathroom and utility room incorporated at the back.
The large space has an industrial feel, with a grey concrete floor and metal-framed glazing, but Roman added warmth with textured materials, such as natural wood and zellige tiles.
The bespoke kitchen was designed as separate pieces of furniture that sit together in the space. The island, for example, was created to look like a table with its legs on show. “It started as a table with storage underneath,” says Roman, “and we developed it from there.”
The client managed to source a three metre length of marble for the island, which adds a softer look and contrasts with the black granite worktops along the wall.
The bespoke kitchen was designed as separate pieces of furniture that sit together in the space. The island, for example, was created to look like a table with its legs on show. “It started as a table with storage underneath,” says Roman, “and we developed it from there.”
The client managed to source a three metre length of marble for the island, which adds a softer look and contrasts with the black granite worktops along the wall.
The kitchen cabinets have oak doors and birch ply interiors. There are large pan drawers, pull-out larder cupboards on either side of the fridge-freezer, and even some shallow drawers for the children’s playthings in the island.
As well as the range cooker, there’s an oven located in the island. However, the top of the island has been kept clear for food preparation. The long, narrow pendant light above is made of terracotta, which brings yet another tactile surface into the space.
As well as the range cooker, there’s an oven located in the island. However, the top of the island has been kept clear for food preparation. The long, narrow pendant light above is made of terracotta, which brings yet another tactile surface into the space.
Wall units with a mix of open shelves and fluted glass doors are perfect for storing glasses and tableware. The open backs give a light feel to the units, and showcase the zellige tiles behind.
The tiles are laid in the traditional style, as tightly together as possible, and add an undulating shimmer to the walls. “We didn’t want anything that competed in terms of colour, but felt that texture could really bring something to the space,” Roman explains.
Zellige tiles, Mosaic del Sur.
The tiles are laid in the traditional style, as tightly together as possible, and add an undulating shimmer to the walls. “We didn’t want anything that competed in terms of colour, but felt that texture could really bring something to the space,” Roman explains.
Zellige tiles, Mosaic del Sur.
The L-shaped layout of the new space dictated the location of the couple’s large dining table, which is positioned perpendicular to the kitchen. The second-hand midcentury dining chairs were reupholstered with vinyl to restore them to their original style.
Folding glass doors open up to the garden. “We chose very thin frames in a bronze tone that matches the brickwork and copper pipes outside,” Roman says.
Glazed doors, Fineline Aluminium.
Folding glass doors open up to the garden. “We chose very thin frames in a bronze tone that matches the brickwork and copper pipes outside,” Roman says.
Glazed doors, Fineline Aluminium.
The couple were keen to incorporate a lounge area near the kitchen for relaxing, and to create a place for the kids to play while the adults cook.
Two second-hand sofas provide comfortable seating, and the new sash windows have solar shading film on the glass, which acts as a privacy screen.
The walls are painted in a warm off-white, but brilliant white on the ceiling ensures the space feels bright.
Two second-hand sofas provide comfortable seating, and the new sash windows have solar shading film on the glass, which acts as a privacy screen.
The walls are painted in a warm off-white, but brilliant white on the ceiling ensures the space feels bright.
Yellow bricks, which contrast with the darker bricks on the original building, were used to create the extension. “The bricks are so dark on the original house that we would have had to stain these new ones to match,” Roman says. “This wouldn’t have been successful, and we were happy to emphasise the new and the old.”
The pointing on these new bricks is flush, which gives them a heavier look than the inset, weather struck pointing elsewhere.
The pointing on these new bricks is flush, which gives them a heavier look than the inset, weather struck pointing elsewhere.
To create a contrast between the smooth concrete floor inside and the patio outside, Roman chose these small clay pavers. “They’re a smaller, non-standard size and have been laid in a traditional method,” he says. “They sit on a bed of sand and have been pointed with sand, too, so water can pass through.
“We also had to find a way of getting over the garden’s level change,” he adds, “so the deep steps double up as seats.”
Clay pavers, Vande Moortel.
Tell us…
What do you like most about this elegant family kitchen, dining and living space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“We also had to find a way of getting over the garden’s level change,” he adds, “so the deep steps double up as seats.”
Clay pavers, Vande Moortel.
Tell us…
What do you like most about this elegant family kitchen, dining and living space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple and their three children
Location North London
Property A Victorian house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms
Room dimensions 6 x 12m
Architect Roman Pardon of Pardon Chambers Architects
Photos by Caroline Mardon
This bright, open-plan room was previously a series of small spaces on the lower ground floor of a Victorian house. “There was no connection with the home’s lovely south-facing garden,” says architect Roman Pardon, who was brought in to tackle the project.
The team set about opening up the the whole floor, and now anyone who enters is immediately greeted by a view of the leafy outdoor space.
Concrete floor, Midland Flooring.